Perhaps the most classical of the various French bagpipes, the Cornemuse is found in quite a number of varieties, which differ primarily in their size and thus pitch. It is also found in many regions of France other than Bourbonnais. Once a very powerful instrument, modern examples are often made to play softly - this in response, presumably, to indoor use, and use of the pipe in modern folk-music groups.

By the way, there's a certain linguistic problem in that "cornemuse" has come to be used in French to denote any sort of bagpipe. Long arguments with a flavor of which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg can revolve around this, but not here.

Musical Notes:

On the CD, this Cornemuse is accompanied by another ancient instrument - the Vielle a Roue, or Wheel Fiddle (also sometimes called a "Hurdy-Gurdy," although that term is also applied to the sort of portable organ operated by monkeys). The Vielle was one of the first instruments to give bagpipes serious competition as a solo instrument capable of providing powerful music for large gatherings.

The scales and key signatures given may be regarded as approximations; bagpipes may deviate from conventional standards in absolute and relative pitch.

Left, The French Cornemuse being played by Sean Folsom; right, Arrigo D'Albert accompanying on the French Vielle a Roue (also known as "Wheel Fiddle" and "Hurdy-Gurdy"). The two instruments have been played together for centuries.

Detail showing the chanter and smaller drone emerging from a common stock.

This configuration is not uncommon among continental European bagpipes and can be seen in many old works of art.